Savory Pumpkin Seed and Black Pepper Scones

We had some good friends drop by for tea the other day. I know they don’t like sweet things so I wanted a recipe for something savory to serve mid-afternoon. I say tea, but really this would have been great with coffee or wine! So this is another recipe that speaks to pumpkins and all that you can do with them. I made these pumpkin scones savory by adding freshly cracked (large grind) black pepper and salted pumpkin seeds as a topping. The use of the traditional complimentary pumpkin spices – cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, brought about warm feelings for the season we are in.

I know I’ve done a lot of pumpkin recipes but really it’s been out of necessity. I hate to waste ingredients and most recipes never call for the use of an entire can of pumpkin puree. So, this is just another use for the remaining puree (or a reason to buy another can) and make these for a tea party, breakfast/brunch, coffee time etc. Really, do you need a reason to bake or enjoy a pastry?!

You can use your own home made pumpkin spice mix or buy the ready mixed version – which as I’ve said before, isn’t always available. I typically add a little more cinnamon and ginger when I use the store bought version. I like the store bought version and usually pick up several tins of it whenever I find it. The additions just suit my (families) taste. There is nothing wrong with a ready mixed product that provides a good base to start from, and then you make your own by adding additional items to it. I do this with plenty of items that I like – as a base.  As always – enjoy!

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
7 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tsp pumpkin spice mix
1 tsp freshly cracked – large grind, black pepper, plus a bit more for the top
½ cup salted pumpkin seeds
6 tablespoons (almost frozen) Churn 84 European Style butter
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
3 tablespoons half-and-half, plus 1 tablespoon for the top of the scones
1 large egg

Directions
Preheat oven to 425f and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, pepper and spice mix in a large bowl – whisk
Grate the cold butter into the flour mixture and mix until you get a crumbly mixture with no visible chunks of butter – set aside
In a separate bowl, whisk together pumpkin, half and half, and egg
Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients and form the dough – without overworking it, into a ball
Pat out dough onto a lightly floured surface and form it into a 1-inch thick circle
Transfer the dough to the parchment lined baking sheet
Use a large knife to make indentations – wedges, into the dough without cutting all the way through
Place on prepared baking sheet, brush with the remaining cream, crack some black pepper on top, sprinkle the pumpkin seeds over that and bake for 16 -20 minutes
Check at 14 minutes – if it is browning too much but the scones are not done, cover lightly with foil and return to the oven to bake for a further 4 – 6 minutes

Painted with cream and ready, sprinkled with salted pumpkin seeds and freshly cracked black pepper!

Optional: You can drizzle these with a glaze if you like. Simply combine icing sugar, pumpkin spices and water, or substitute lemon/orange juice and zest instead of the pumpkin spice. Always taste the glaze before you add it to anything. It should be slightly runny and not stiff.